Doctor Who - "A Town Called Mercy" (9/15/12)

I thought this was a much better episode than last week's. Funny after all the arguing in last week's thread over whether the Doctor kills or not, the next episode brings the question out in the open by having him choose to at first kill then help a war criminal (albeit reformed). Apparently the answer is he will kill, but companions help him keep his moral center. There were no companions around last episode to stop him.

It was nice to see Ben Browder again. He's definitely no stranger to SciFi, but I still never expected to see him on Doctor Who.

The dilemma with the "war criminal" was good. What is worse, experimenting and killing 100's or letting many, many thousands die in a protracted war? Wasn't that the rationale behind dropping atomic weapons on Japan, that less died then that would in a ground assault? (and less than the number that died in the fire bombing of Tokyo )

Of course that was the same decision the Doctor and the town had to make. Turn over the guy who saved the town to be killed, the idea that letting one die was better than all of them dying. The doctor at least knew about the war, where until he arrived the town was close to sacrificing him without knowing that.

From the previews I had expected to dislike this one, so I was pleasantly surprised by it. I felt the writing was simply much better in this episode than in the previous couple of episodes. It was refreshing to see the doctor actually get angry about something rather than "all madcap, all the time".

I liked that they addressed the moral issue from last episode head on in this one. Amy raises an excellent question: "Since when does killing become an option?" This certainly is a fairly sizable change in the Doctor.

And not even that - him strapping on a gun really surprised me. I know, old west and all, but still, in the past the Doctor wouldn't have even considered wearing it.

I knew Ben Browder was going to be in this episode, but I had forgotten.... so I was wracking my brain trying to figure out why the marshal sounded so familiar.

I knew Ben Browder was going to be in this episode, but I had forgotten.... so I was wracking my brain trying to figure out why the marshal sounded so familiar.

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Thanks for mentioning this. The voice I knew, but I really couldn't place his face with that hair and mustache. He might have put on a couple pounds since Stargate also. I meant to check the credits but forgot to.

I liked that they addressed the moral issue from last episode head on in this one. Amy raises an excellent question: "Since when does killing become an option?" This certainly is a fairly sizable change in the Doctor.

And not even that - him strapping on a gun really surprised me. I know, old west and all, but still, in the past the Doctor wouldn't have even considered wearing it.

I knew Ben Browder was going to be in this episode, but I had forgotten.... so I was wracking my brain trying to figure out why the marshal sounded so familiar.

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Doctor Who and a gun. Not new. He toted guns in the old days. And carried and used weapons from the place and time he was in.

Forget it. Not getting into this argument over what the Doctor has and hasn't done again.

From the previews I had expected to dislike this one, so I was pleasantly surprised by it. I felt the writing was simply much better in this episode than in the previous couple of episodes. It was refreshing to see the doctor actually get angry about something rather than "all madcap, all the time".

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Editing still felt jumpy and the Ponds are a bit off writing wise but well written over all, yes.

I enjoyed the episode well enough, and I really liked the cyborg, but on the whole I'm not exactly in love with this season. I know Moffat's stated intention was to move away from "complicated" multi-episode story arcs and toward a weekly "blockbuster" stand-alone style for the season, and I can understand that. But so far, though I still enjoy each episode, I miss those overarching storylines. Each week I sortof feel like, "OK, saw that one; what's next?" It's a little disappointing.